(1)Following the total pre-payment of R23 million by the Housing Development Agency in December 2021 to Thoba Mkangisa & Associates, KSMD Engineering Consultants, MIB Infrastructure and Development and Siyeza Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd, for providing professional engineering consultation services on upgrading informal settlements of over 30 000 households in seven district municipalities in the Eastern Cape, (a) what necessitated the advanced payments to the specified companies when they were only appointed on 30 November 2021 and accepted such appointments on 15 December 2021, on the same day they submitted invoices;
(2) Whether actions were taken against employees who approved the advance payments; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details?